A Pleasant Surprise
Wow, hit the bunker twice yesterday, about the same amount as the last two months together! Somebody's got a new rocket-launcher. But they won't be around long. And then today the rain hit. It's about time: it was getting mighty dusty around here.
Then I ordered some books from Amazon.com. One came from a private book store in Florida. I guess the private owners, Ruben and Frida Modugno, noticed my military address. When I opened the book there was a little envelope with my name on it and a hand-written Christmas Card with some words of cheer and thanks. Isn't that sweet? I'm telling you, there are good people everywhere.
Then I noticed a link to my blog from a commentary blog. The view of things here in Iraq is often dour, mimicking the typical media barrage of coverage. Obviously things are BAD here. It's a war. But I find the idea that Iraqis aren't interested in freedom or that the Iraq country is about to fall apart, or that we are some how losing here, myopic and unsupported.
For example, 80% of Iraqis voted in each of their three elections. Seems, compared to Americans, which muster maybe 60% on a hot-topic election, the Iraqis love democracy more than we do!
Then the violence in one or two provinces is shown and people somehow think the whole country is in Chaos. That's like looking at crime and murder in Capitol of America, Washington D.C., and believing our whole country is engaged in a bloodbath.
That's just my view. The soldiers here never lose ANY battle they engage in. It's just that the extremists of the two opposing groups here are like two mafias or two fuedal lords going at it--granted; the Sunnis are backed by Syria and the Shiites by Iran--but the majority of Iraqis are not playing along. Most of Iraq is relatively civilized. And you don't hear most Iraqis whining about it, do you?
Yeah, just my opinion. But I've learned that things are often different than they seem, or are made to appear. And if you look back at the news a few years after World War Two, you will often find very pessimistic and defeatest media views of what is now considered a great victory. I give America, and Iraq, the benefit of the doubt.
Then I ordered some books from Amazon.com. One came from a private book store in Florida. I guess the private owners, Ruben and Frida Modugno, noticed my military address. When I opened the book there was a little envelope with my name on it and a hand-written Christmas Card with some words of cheer and thanks. Isn't that sweet? I'm telling you, there are good people everywhere.
Then I noticed a link to my blog from a commentary blog. The view of things here in Iraq is often dour, mimicking the typical media barrage of coverage. Obviously things are BAD here. It's a war. But I find the idea that Iraqis aren't interested in freedom or that the Iraq country is about to fall apart, or that we are some how losing here, myopic and unsupported.
For example, 80% of Iraqis voted in each of their three elections. Seems, compared to Americans, which muster maybe 60% on a hot-topic election, the Iraqis love democracy more than we do!
Then the violence in one or two provinces is shown and people somehow think the whole country is in Chaos. That's like looking at crime and murder in Capitol of America, Washington D.C., and believing our whole country is engaged in a bloodbath.
That's just my view. The soldiers here never lose ANY battle they engage in. It's just that the extremists of the two opposing groups here are like two mafias or two fuedal lords going at it--granted; the Sunnis are backed by Syria and the Shiites by Iran--but the majority of Iraqis are not playing along. Most of Iraq is relatively civilized. And you don't hear most Iraqis whining about it, do you?
Yeah, just my opinion. But I've learned that things are often different than they seem, or are made to appear. And if you look back at the news a few years after World War Two, you will often find very pessimistic and defeatest media views of what is now considered a great victory. I give America, and Iraq, the benefit of the doubt.
posted by Ernest at 10:21 PM
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